The Last Marauder
by HarryPotterForever1997
Summary: Remus' reaction to hearing about Peter's death. One-shot emotional, although not in a way that romanticises Peter's faults. Just something I wrote because I felt inspired. I hope you like it, please review!


_Something I wrote after being inspired by a Tumblr post that said "Hi I'm auditioning for Remus Lupin and I will be singing 'Empty Chairs and Empty Tables' from Les Mis". (I know, it's incredibly cruel). It got me thinking about how Remus must have felt after finding out that Peter died and...this happened. I did my best to make it as canon as possible - Peter died during the Easter of 1998 (April 12th-19th) and Teddy was born during April 1998, so I'm assuming he exists at this point in time. I did my best to make it realistic in the sense that Peter's faults aren't completely ignored or amplified. _

_I hope you enjoy this, please review!_

-_HarryPotterForever1997_

* * *

"Battle...Malfoy Manor...dead."

Remus only heard snippets of the conversation between Molly and Arthur before barging in. He paused at the doorway, belatedly realising that perhaps interrupting them wasn't the best idea.

Arthur sighed heavily and Molly withdrew her arms from around his neck. They both turned to look at him. Remus felt like an intruder.

"I-I'm sorry." He managed to say. "I heard you talking about Harry and I just-"

"It's alright Remus." Arthur said reassuringly. Molly nodded.

"We understand what it's like to feel responsible for someone." She said soothingly. Remus smiled, his thoughts suddenly invaded by images of his new-born son.

"Anyhow, there isn't much to be worried about – it wasn't easy, but Harry and the others managed to escape. They rescued Ollivander, Luna, and a goblin that Voldemort had captured. They're all at Shell cottage now. No one was hurt badly." Arthur said. Remus let out a breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding, but a flash of memory caused his throat to tighten again.

"But I heard you saying that someone was dead. Who was it?" He said suspiciously. Arthur and Molly exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Well, Bill said that Dobby died-" Molly began tentatively. Remus felt a spike of pity for Harry.

"That's terrible." He said sombrely. "Harry loved the little elf." Molly nodded, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

"And...Peter died too." She finished in a ghost of a whisper. The world seemed to stop for a second and Remus felt his stomach sink. It was suddenly very hard to breathe. He heard the rest of Molly's voice as if he was underwater, a flurry of words that were hard to decipher. "Harry said that it was-it was the hand. Peter was supposed to strangle Harry, but he hesitated because he was reminded of the time Harry saved his life, and I suppose that Voldemort's gift interpreted that as weakness-" Remus held up a hand, silencing Molly. He didn't want to hear more, he _couldn't_ hear more.

"That's...well, it's...I-" He struggled with the words. "I don't know what to say. Better – better him than Harry, yes?"

"Remus..." Arthur began, taking a step towards him. Remus shook his head, stepping out of the room instantly.

"I just – I need to – I can't-" He couldn't seem to find the words. He shook his head once again, and then turned around and walked away.

o-O-o

Moments later, Remus found himself in the garden, sitting on the ground and leaning against a tree trunk. He'd positioned himself so that no one approaching the house would see him instantly – the protective enchantments and cloaking spells guarding the house ensured that he was safe, but he wanted to defend himself against unwanted conversation as well.

Remus didn't know how he felt about Peter being dead. It wasn't as simple as it had been when he'd watched Sirius die – watching the best friend he'd recently reconciled with fall away from him so abruptly had been absolute Hell. The only thing that had stopped him from going after Sirius was Harry - he had to stay with his best friend's child and protect him from everything that threatened to rip him apart – his internal foes as well as his external enemies. There was one less Marauder in the world to protect him now, and Remus had to make sure that Harry would be alright. For James.

Remus drew in a shuddering breath, shaking the memory away from his head. No, it wasn't like it had been with Sirius – at least not with the real Sirius. Perhaps the reason that Remus found it so hard to sort out his feelings about Wormtail's death was that he'd already mourned his fallen friend – he'd spent twelve years mourning him and associating Sirius with betrayal, and now, years after that time they were both dead and it seemed ludicrous to even consider mourning Wormtail. He'd betrayed James and Lily – he was the reason they'd died. The reason Sirius had spent twelve years in Azkaban and the rest of his life in hiding because people suspected that he'd committed the despicable crime instead. And of course – the worst part of it all – he'd helped Voldemort rise again, killed Cedric Diggory in front of Harry's eyes, and indirectly caused the start of the largest war the Wizarding World had ever known - it was almost sickly appropriate (albeit tragic) that Voldemort's 'gift' had ended Peter the minute he'd shown a tiny bit of remorse. Helping the Dark Lord was what had turned Peter into a cowardly traitor. Part of Remus wished him and Sirius hadn't listened to Harry, that they'd had the chance to avenge James as soon as the truth came out.

But the other part of Remus was just _sad_. Not necessarily because of Peter's death – dying didn't make anyone a saint – but because he couldn't help thinking about how significantly everything had changed. As he let himself wallow in the time he'd had with his best friends memories he hadn't considered in a long while rushed back in, and he found his heart aching for those moments, when everything had been so much simpler. Before Peter let his fears consume him, before James and Lily put their trust in the wrong person, before Sirius went through an ordeal that changed him forever.

Before Remus Lupin became the last living Marauder.

It was almost like the end of an era – an era that had ended a long time ago with James' death, but somehow, knowing that he was the only one that remained made it much harder to swallow.

The feeling of emptiness that had been present ever since Sirius' death intensified slightly at that thought. Remus was completely and utterly alone.

o-O-o

"Remus?" A voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he glanced up to see his wife gazing down at him. The worry in her expression was obvious as she sat down next to him, taking his hand and holding it tightly. He glanced up at the clouds – it was much darker than it had been when he'd first stepped outside.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I know it's late, I just-"

"You lost track of time." Nymphadora finished. "It's alright." She said, moving closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder. "I heard about Peter." She said in a low voice. "I'm sorry; I know that what you're feeling must be very...complicated."

"The Marauders are all dead." Remus said blankly. "Apart from me, and it isn't even that I'm broken by the thought of Peter dying, what hurts the most is that...now they're _all_ gone. Officially, and I just feel so alone..." He felt her stiffen next to him. "Dora, I didn't mean that-" She shook her head and turned to look at him, her eyes full of understanding.

"They were everything to you Remus. They were the first people in your life who unconditionally accepted you for who you were – and they didn't need to be related to you to do it. They erased all of the worry that you felt every month – you trusted them, they took care of you in ways that no one else could. And even if you were still consumed with anxiety about hurting them, it was never as bad as it had been when you battled through it alone. They were there for you throughout _everything_ and you associated them with joy, love and companionship. It's natural for you to feel alone and devastated now that they're gone. You don't need to apologise for it." She said. As the words exited her mouth, Remus felt a deep sense of surprise growing inside him. He'd never loved Nymphadora more than in that moment. He was overwhelmed by how well she understood him, how she knew that his feeling of loneliness had nothing to do with her – it was just a result of the unsettling knowledge that the first real friends he'd had were all dead. "I'm sorry they're gone." She continued in a whisper. "And I know you feel alone without them. But I'm always here for you – and so is Teddy, although he's much too young to understand what's happened. We're your family and we'll always be here for you." Remus nodded and leaned forward slightly, kissing Nymphadora softly on the lips.

"And I will spend the rest of my life doing the same for you – or die trying." He whispered. She nodded.

"And little Teddy will grow up knowing that his father had the best friends anyone could have asked for. He'll know all about Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Prongs and how much you wish he could have known them." She said. Remus nodded, a single tear running down his cheek. "You may be the last living Marauder, but you won't be the last to know about all the four of you shared. I promise."

* * *

_Well, she didn't get to keep that promise, but I like how that ends. If you've read this far, I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did, tell me what you liked! If not, tell me what you hated and I'll work on it!_

_-HarryPotterForever1997_


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